Strategically placed compliance bumps for shock attentuation

Abstract

An enclosure for holding shock sensitive mechanisms (such as disk drives) includes compliance members strategically located on a bottom support member for substantially reducing a shock pulse amplitude component transmitted into wall structures of the enclosure and consequently into the shock sensitive mechanisms. The compliance members are positioned so as to contact a support surface upon which the enclosure is set or rests. In a preferred embodiment, the compliance members are positioned on the bottom support member generally away from and/or generally equidistant from any two nearest wall structures, and generally away from any bottom support member portion that is stiffly coupled to the wall structures. As such, the shock pulse acceleration force amplitude component is reduced significantly prior to being transmitted to the wall structures in the event of a typical tilt drop of the enclosure. Also, preferably, the compliance members are molded into or formed onto the bottom support member as part of the bottom support member to provide shock amplitude attenuation to the enclosure at essentially no additional cost and with no additional parts.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An mass storage mechanism enclosure for holding shock sensitive mass storage mechanisms, the enclosure comprising: (a) a bottom support member;   (b) at least two wall structures stiffly coupled to the bottom support member at spaced locations thereon, and wherein the at least two wall structures are configured for supporting the shock sensitive mass storage mechanisms therebetween; and,   (c) shock feet associated with the bottom support member for contacting a support surface upon which the enclosure is set or rests, and wherein the shock feet are positioned at generally equidistant locations between any two nearest wall structures.   
     
     
       2. The enclosure of claim 1 wherein the shock feet are molded into or formed onto the bottom support member as part of the bottom support member. 
     
     
       3. The enclosure of claim 1 wherein the shock feet are bumps on the bottom support member. 
     
     
       4. The enclosure of claim 1 wherein the shock sensitive mechanisms are disk drive mechanisms held within the enclosure by way of the wall structures. 
     
     
       5. A mass storage mechanism housing for supporting a plurality of disk drive mechanisms, comprising: (a) bottom and top support members;   (b) first, second and third wall structures coupled to the bottom and top support members, and wherein the first and second wall structures are configured for supporting therebetween a first subset of the plurality of disk drive mechanisms, and the second and third wall structures are configured for supporting therebetween a second subset of the plurality of disk drive mechanisms; and,   (c) compliance bumps disposed on the bottom support member for contacting a support surface upon which the housing rests, and wherein a first subset of the compliance bumps are positioned on the bottom support member at generally equidistant locations between the first and second wall structures, and wherein a second subset of the compliance bumps are positioned on the bottom support member at generally equidistant locations between the second and third wall structures.